Pratt to sculpt life-size butter Cy for ISU Homecoming

October 21, 2012

AMES- The Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has commissioned the Iowa State Fair's butter cow sculptor to create a life-size butter Cy to celebrate the university's 100th Homecoming "CYtennial," Oct. 22-27.

Sarah Pratt, the Iowa State Fair's butter cow sculptor, will be sculpting Cy in Kildee Hall on the Iowa State campus. It will take approximately 300 pounds of butter to create the butter Cy.

Pratt is a Toledo native and graduate of South Tama High School. She is the daughter of Tom and Mary Doyle of Toledo and teaches school in West Des Moines.

Article Photos

Toledo native Sarah Pratt with a Butter Cow at the Iowa State Fair. State Fair photo

Viewing will take place in Kildee Hall through a window into an ISU Meat Laboratory cooler. Sculpting hours are Oct. 22-26, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The viewing window will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and October 27 from 7:30 a.m. to kickoff.

The ISU Dairy Science Club and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Ambassadors will be present from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day greeting guests, selling homemade ice cream and handing out "I saw Butter Cy" stickers.

The Midwest Dairy Association is sponsoring the butter Cy with a donation of butter and funds to market the project. After homecoming, Cy will be melted down and stored for future use in other butter sculptures at the Iowa State Fair.

College alumna Norma "Duffy" Lyon, the previous Iowa State Fair butter sculptor, died in 2011. She served as the "butter cow lady" for 46 years. Pratt, took over in 2006 after apprenticing Lyon for 15 years.